Build thee more stately mansions

Mark Andrews’ anthem draws inspiration from the final stanza of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.'s poem "The Chambered Nautilus." The text urges the soul to construct ever more magnificent dwellings as time progresses, to move beyond past limitations, and to strive for greater spiritual and intellectual expansion. It paints a vivid image of growth and aspiration, likening personal development to a nautilus shell that continually builds new, larger chambers. This SATB setting in English eloquently conveys the poem’s message of continuous self-improvement and the pursuit of higher ideals, making it a powerful and uplifting sacred anthem.